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CBGB’s 70’s Punk Scene by Godlis

1976-1978

CBGB’s House photographer

David Godlis was eyewitness to the 1970s New York punk scene. Here’s a very small sample of what you can find i his photo souvenir book on the CBGB with an intro by Jim Jarmusch who just did a documentary about The Stooges ”Gimme Danger”.

“The long view across Bowery that fabulous summer of 77” (Godlis,1977)Hilly Kristal, Bowery. “Hilly overseeing his Bowery kingdom. It was essential that I had a good shot of him. But back then when I showed people this photo they would ask why I had a photo of this bearded guy in a flannel shirt mixed in with my pictures of punks on the Bowery. Now everyone knows. Without Hilly, I wouldn’t have any of these photos.” (Godlis, 1977)Patti Smith, one of the first artists booked to play the club when it opened, arriving (Godlis,1976)Sylvia Morales (who would go on to marry Lou Reed) and downtown scenester/ Mudd Club co-founder Anya Phillips strike a pose (Godlis,1977)Roberta Bayley, Mary Harron, John Holmstrom, CBGB. “All three were essential at the classic Punk Magazine. Roberta Bayley shot the cover of the first Ramones album and also worked the front desk at CBGB’s, Mary Harron did the first U.S. piece on the Sex Pistols for Punk and later directed many films including American Psycho, and John Holmstrom founded Punk magazine and still runs the punk empire online.”(Godlis,1977)Psychobilly/Garage punk band The Cramps (Goldis,1977)Lester Bangs, CBGB. “Music journalist Lester Bangs brought his pen and typewriter to NYC to report on what was going on down on the Bowery. Here shown wearing a Punk Magazine T-shirt. (Godlis,1977)Singer-songwriter Alex Chilton, Bowery. “Alex was a big photography fan, photographer William Eggleston being a family friend in Memphis. So we tried shooting this out on the Bowery median strip, getting very lucky when a drop of rain landed on the lens transforming this shot from pretty good to iconic. Used as the cover for his independent 45 ‘Bangkok,’ an outtake of this session is the cover of the recent biography ‘A Man Called Destruction,’ by Holly George-Warren.”(Godlis,1977)Klaus Nomi, Christopher Parker, Jim Jarmusch, Bowery. “I knew Jim Jarmusch through a mutual friend studying film with him at NYU, and he was hanging out at CBGB’s. Christopher Parker was in Jim’s first film ‘Permanent Vacation.’ And Klaus Nomi, was just getting ready to shine over at Club 57 in the next year or so.”(Godlis,1978)Patti Smith performing with the Patti Smith Group (Godlis,1977)Punk innovator Richard Hell performing (Godlis,1978)Richard Hell, Bowery, ”Around 3 a.m., I caught Richard exiting CBGB before catching a cab in the Bowery rain” (Godlis 1977)CBGB’s Bathroom “The Metropolitan Museum of Art used this photo to recreate the legendary CBGB bathroom for their ‘Punk Couture’ show last year. That’s one way to get into the Met, I guess.”(Godlis,1976)Punk magazine co-founder Legs McNeil enjoying (?) a drink (Godlis, 1978)Talking Heads, CBGB. “This was the first time they played CBGB as a foursome, after adding Jerry Harrison (formerly with the Modern Lovers). They used to do a great cover of 1910 Fruitgum Company’s ‘123 Red Light.’ It’s on YouTube.”(Godlis,1977)Blondie, CBGB. “Another view from the side of the stage. Debbie Harry with Chris Stein on slide guitar doing a cover of ‘Little Red Rooster’ at the Punk Magazine Benefit show.” (Godlis,1977)Dictators, Bowery. “I photographed ‘Handsome Dick’ Manitoba and his girlfriend Jody under the awning to thank him for returning my lost wallet. Considering that I used to have to explain to people what the letters CBGB OMFUG* meant every time I’d show this picture, I never could have imagined that CBGB would someday grace iconic T-shirts worldwide.” (Godlis.1976)No Wave Punks, Bowery. “I think it was Terry Ork who came up with the idea to name the next thing after New Wave, No Wave. All participants in this scene, here hanging right outside the club are Harold Paris, Kristian Hoffman, Diego Cortez, Anya Philips, Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Jim Sclavunos, Bradley Field and Liz Seidman. Well actually, Harold Paris was not a participant, but he was a best friend of Thurston Moore who once told me he should have been in this photo instead. He was probably standing right next to me when I took it, and his Volkswagen can be seen parked in the background.” (Godlis, 1978)Dee Dee and Joey Ramone, Bowery. “Dee Dee once told me that he chose this for the cover of his book “Poison Heart – Surviving The Ramones”, because he remembered this as a ‘really good night.’ I like that reason.” (Godlis,1977)The Ramones, who are arguably one of the artists most closely associated with the CBGB, performing (Godlis,1977)Ramones, CBGB. “I love that Joey Ramone is holding up the ‘Gabba Gabba Hey’ sign himself, before they started bringing Zippy onstage to hold it during ‘Pinhead.”(Godlis,1977)CBGB Interior at Closing Time. “Walking out of the club at 4 a.m., it all looked so romantic to me.” (Godlis,1977)Garbage Truck, Bowery 4 a.m. “And here’s what it looked like out on Bowery after closing when the Garbage Trucks ruled the NYC streets. They still do.” (Godlis,1977)

10 Ramones Clips You Need To Watch!

Just click on pic for the clips!

“When you boo the Ramones, you are booing rock’n’roll”; So said Supersuckers’ frontman Eddie Spaghetti. They could be the truest words ever uttered. Tommy Ramone, who died Friday on July 11th 2014 at the age of 65, was the band’s first official drummer and the cool, streetwise rogue in the shrunken black T-shirt and oversized shades staring out from the cover of that 29-minute-sprint-to-the-finish first album. An original member of the band, Tommy’s tenure in the group would last until 1978. During that time he played on arguably their three greatest records (Ramones, Leave Home and Rocket To Russia), co-producing each and underpinning the songs with a high-energy, no-frills style that combined with Johnny Ramone’s buzzsaw guitar to propel their music to thrillingly unhinged heights. And if proof were needed of the NY punk icons’ foundation status in rock’s edifice, one need only survey the video evidence corralled below. Strap yourself in, and prepare to break the sound barrier with the Ramones Mark I at their very, very best.

29 thoughts on “CBGB’s 70’s Punk Scene by Godlis”

Very cool! I made a post about CBGB a while back, on the anniversary of its closing if I recall. I actually went there once. It was during the day so it wasn’t even open, but as a music fan it was a Mecca. We were at the Meadowlands for a Grateful Dead show and I had to go see it in person. Terrific history, from Patti Smith, The Ramones, The Talking Heads, Debby Harry, Lou Reed, and on and on. I read that after they closed it the new owner opened a friggin’ clothing store. Pathetic.

Yup the CBGB is truly the mecca AND the Alpha punk club!! Legendary as can be!! I thought the little cheap movie they made about it was good enough that it would maybe attract more and more people to like punk rock!! To me the very first punk rocker was truly Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, closely followed by the MC5 and The Stooges (their first album was produced by John Cale, formerly from the VU) and then all the rest ”followed” but these were the very first IMO!! Richard Hell, The Dolls and The Ramones really epitomised what was the thinking and the way of life behind it all, adding a little more ”Please Kill Me” to it… But this is just me!! Maybe The Dolls were just Glam Rock and Richard Hell was just a folk singer!! Anyways my goal here on LAN is to give EVERYONE a chance to get familiar with everything that surrounds various subcultures and also to get in touch, in a way, with the people and movements behind it all!!! That’s why you will find here also a post about the Merry Prankster and the legendary bus tour they did and the Acid Tests parties featuring the Grateful Dead as well!! What is striking me in your comment is that all these bands held in very high esteem by the artist/writer (I call them ”Surgeons”) of the Beat Generation!! Most of them see Burroughs as the Godfather of Punk even though he hates to be called a punk! I think you would like (maybe) to read a post called ”Beat Punk” that is about a book written by Victor Bockris that explains (a lot better than I do) why all these people were so closely related and how they managed to create quite a stir in the societies and youth throughout a few decades… Anyways..Sorry for this long answer.. So happy for your nice comment!! TY so much!! A pleasure shared is multiplied! It must have been something to attend this last show at the CBGB!!! About the clothing store thing.. Anything besides what it was before is a fucking crying shame for the CBGB!!!

No worries on the length of the response! I get wordy too. I don’t think the Dolls were glam rock, they were punk. But when I think of that movement and CBGB, I instantly think Lou Reed and The Ramones. It was most definitely a New York thing, and that attitude is what made it so real. I’m glad I got to see it before it was gone. Keep up the great work! Loving your posts. 😃

LUCKY YOU!!! This last show must have been a triumph!! I would give almost anything to have been in London too when in 1972 Lou Reed, Bowie and The Stooges gave 1 show each, 3 consecutive nights!! TY for liking my page!! I hope one day it will mean something. I would love to have made a difference but I would be very satisfied just if it had filled the promise of making sure none of the old school pioneers were ever forgotten! I know we are both old timers but I still think is as relevant today as it was back then..If not more… We definitely need more momentum though…